Your Steps to Renting a Property

Rickmansworth : 29 May 2008

STEP 1
Pick the area and type of property
While you may be boosting someone else's investment by renting (rather than investing in your own future by purchasing a property), there are huge upsides too; and the biggest is choice! When renting you can find yourself living in an area or type of house that you would never be able to afford to buy. Firstly set your budget and let that dictate the kind of property you can look at. Virtually every kind of home is available to rent, from a tiny bed-sit to a five bed detached house in the countryside. Look at the amenities available nearby and consider how the home fits with your desired lifestyle.
 
STEP 2
Be prepared and don't dawdle
Unlike the current situation for buying a property, you can't afford to delay decisions on renting the property you like. The recent removal of 100% and some 95% mortgages means fewer first time buyers can afford to buy, and so are continuing to rent, boosting rental demand. You need to be able to give firm clear decisions and have the funds in place to pay a deposit when you find the rental home you like, a brief hesitation could cost you your dream property.
 
STEP 3
Ensure it's all legal and safe
There are a host of laws designed to protect you as a tenant, from deposit protection schemes, to the need to get gas appliances checked once a year. Ask the landlord or their agent for proof that the house is safe and legal. The general state of the property will give you an idea if it is being correctly maintained or not. Check that safety devices, such as the smoke detector, are in working order. Ensure that you are signing a proper rental contract for full protection. If in doubt, make sure to use a regulated agent, look for the ARLA logo.
 
Parkheath have a dedicated Lettings & Management Team on hand to answer all your burning questions. Whether you are a Landlord or Tenant we have the Knowledge, qualifications and, of course, the experience to Make your renting experience a pleasure.
 

 

There is So Much for a Landlord to Remember

Rickmansworth : 21 May 2008

One of the most important things is to have an annual gas safety inspection carried out. This is a legal requirement with severe criminal penalties for non-compliance.
 
Gas is exceptionally dangerous, if a gas appliance leaks it could have very dangerous results; as a Landlord you could find yourself in a terrible position; as a Tenant you could find yourself injured or worse!! The whole point of instructing a Managing Agent is to enable the Landlord to sit back and relax while their investment is taken care of. When a property is managed by Parkheath, it is in  the safest possible hands; we are fully aware of tenancy legislation, and we will arrange to have everything taken care of when it is required. At Parkheath we use only the best contractors to carry out Gas Safety Inspections on behalf and I cannot stress enough the importance of using a contractor with all the right qualifications, i.e. being a Corgi registered, experienced engineer.
 
If you are a Landlord…. why don’t you take a break from the stress that  comes with the job and let our Management department take care of your property for you?
 
If you are a Tenant…. You can be assured that all the properties you view or rent with Parkheath, are going to adhere to all the safety legislation required to keep you safe!

 

How long will it take me to rent my property?

Watford : 14 May 2008

Every time I go on a rental valuation I am asked this question…. My response is simple, if the property is correctly priced, it should have immediate interest in this buoyant market, and be under offer within a couple of weeks. The key point however is having the property correctly priced. There have been many times when I have valued a property and the owner has requested a higher price and then wondered why the property hasn’t rented!
 
The market is good, but that is no excuse to be greedy with your price. Remember that other  properties on the market you  may have seen advertised at a higher price, are STILL on the market and NOT under offer, so you must be guided by the professional opinion of the valuer. If you obtain a variation of prices, please ask to see comparable evidence of properties, which HAVE been rented out already, and recently! Your local Parkheath Lettings offices undertake an average of 50 tenancies each month, so we are exceptionally qualified  to tell you exactly HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACHIEVE for your property. We would definitely have rented a similar property in the recent weeks and we will know what you can or cannot achieve. The whole point of using a  Lettings Agent, is to pick one with the relevant experience you require, and to tap into that  experience. Remember, the valuation will be as high as we can achieve, as the more you get, the more we get, but we are NOT going to give you false hope, or unrealistic expectations, for that you need to look elsewhere…
 
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